


Three Fates

by TextualDeviance



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, F/M, M/M, Missing Scene, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-06-02 15:57:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6572524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TextualDeviance/pseuds/TextualDeviance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three people. Three scenes. One love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three Fates

**Author's Note:**

> Covering the events of TFA and occurring within that narrative. 
> 
> Very slight deviations from canon, but largely compatible with both novel and movie versions (including deleted scenes.)

"Poe, I need your help." Finn's voice, a moment ago so excited about their reunion, took on a worried tone.

"Anything." Poe was so thrilled to see his friend and rescuer again that he would have agreed to whatever the man proposed.

"I need to see General Organa. Can you manage that?"

Poe nodded. "Can do." Slinging an arm around Finn's strong shoulders, he steered him toward the command center. "What do you need from her, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I met someone when I was on Jakku. Her name's Rey," Finn said as they walked. "She helped us—me and BB-8. Helped us escape." The droid, rolling along behind them, beeped assent, and added an unsolicited comment about how the pair of humans got on in their short time together. Poe shot his mechanical friend a look.

“But back there, on Takodana,” Finn continued, “something happened. Han said she got scared about something and ran off. She got separated from the rest of us, and when the First Order ambushed us . . ." His voice broke.

Poe gave his shoulders what he hoped was a gentle, encouraging squeeze. "Was she hurt?"

"No. I don't think so. Well, I don't know." Finn stopped them, his expression deeply worried. "Kylo Ren took her."

Poe froze.

“The one who took you prisoner," Finn continued. "Who . . . interrogated you.” He sounded apologetic, and his eyes traveled over the still-fresh marks on Poe's face.

Poe felt his stomach quiver. The bruises from the beatings would fade, but the wounds from the invasion of his mind were another story. He started walking again, quickening his pace. “We need to get her back, then—and fast.”

As they hurried to their destination, Finn also told him about the weapon that had wiped out the Hosnian system—a massive device which made the Death Star look like a child's toy. When they arrived, the general greeted them warmly. As Finn launched into a brief explanation, she sighed. For a moment, her eyes took on a tired, sad look; perhaps she was remembering the destruction of her homeworld by a similar weapon, Poe considered. When Admiral Ackbar took Finn aside to get more details from him, Poe nearly followed, not wanting to be away from Finn now that they'd found each other again. Leia held him back for a moment, however.

"What Finn is telling us is incredibly useful. Thank you for bringing him here," she said. "But I think we're going to need more information than he can give us. We need a pilot to go there on a recon mission." She looked at him hopefully.

He hesitated for a moment. He was exhausted and hadn’t had more than a few minutes of rest in more than two days. He was of course always willing to do whatever his beloved general asked of him, but he couldn't help wishing he could get some food and a shower and, if he was lucky, time to actually talk to his new friend when they weren’t running for their lives. Yet his sense of duty took over. “Absolutely. I can—“

“General, if you’re OK with it, I can take the recon run.” Snap, ever the perfect wingman, strode up to them, finishing the last of a bottle of liquid nourishment. “I think Poe could use a break.”

Poe flashed him a grateful smile.

“Oh! Of course.” Leia shook her head as if to clear it. The normally unflappable woman seemed to have been unsettled by the unexpected reunion with her estranged husband. “I’m sorry for not thinking of that. And Finn probably needs some rest, too.” She glanced across the room, smiling warmly at the newest member of her resistance.

“Undoubtedly.” Poe nodded. “But I know he wants to go find Rey—“

“We’ll find her, Poe,” Leia promised. “We’ll figure out how to do that as soon as we get word back from the recon.”

“On it, General,” Snap nodded and dashed back out to the tarmac, coordinate info in hand. 

For the first time since his mission on Jakku went pear-shaped, Poe felt uncomfortable tension beginning to leave his body. He looked up to find Finn gazing back at him from across the room, his rundown with the admiral having finished. Trotting over to where the younger man stood, he placed a gentle hand on his friend's back. “C’mon,” he said gently. “Let me go park my flight gear, and then I'll show you where the commissary is. You can tell me more about Rey over lunch.”

He had no idea how much time they would really have before they’d have to go out again, but they did manage to get cleaned up and get a brief meal—and have a useful conversation. From the way Finn described her, Poe understood clearly why he was so desperate to rescue the young woman. It might have seemed odd to some, he knew, to feel so bonded to someone one had just met, but given how he felt about his current company, Poe could empathize. He had heard that dire circumstances could forge intense bonds in a short time. Until now, he hadn't believed it, yet here they were together while Finn recounted the story of his time with Rey with as much emotional intensity as he had displayed at their own reunion. As the story went on, Poe even felt a tug at his own heart, though he'd never met the woman in question. If Finn liked her, that was all he needed to know, and he quickly felt just as determined to find her.

“We might still have some time before we need to go again,” Poe said after they'd finished their simple lunch. “If you want, you can try to catch a nap in my bunk.”

Finn frowned. “What about you? You’re probably in worse shape than I am.”

Poe shrugged. “Snap’s bunk is above mine. I’ll just borrow that while he's out.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

It seemed no sooner had he closed eyes than Jess, having gotten her own nap in her bunk one corridor over, was poking him. “Recon data is back.”

Poe slipped out of the small alcove and landed neatly on the floor. Finn, the poor man, was still fast asleep. Jess hurried off, leaving the pair alone again. Poe crouched down, and put a gentle hand on on his friend's arm. “Hey, buddy?” he whispered. “Finn? I'm sorry, but it's time to wake up.”

Finn started awake. His eyes were wide with panic and disorientation, but as soon as he saw Poe, he relaxed again. “Oh. Hi.” He smiled.

"Let's go take a look at that big gun, shall we?" Poe stood up, extending a hand to his friend.

Finn took the hand and rose quickly. “I’m ready.”

***

Under the current conditions, Finn was far too adrenaline soaked to really notice the cold. He also continued to bask in the memory of Rey's arms around him—that kept him comfortably warm indeed. Of course he also had spent a fair amount of time on this base, including some time outside of its structures. He was no stranger to snow; not unfamiliar with the frigid temperatures.

Rey, on the other hand, was shivering. Having spent most of her life baking in the deserts of Jakku, this sudden change in climate was undoubtedly a shock to her system—a system already in shock from her captivity, torture, and eventual escape. She also wasn't remotely dressed for the elements. As they quietly made their way toward a group of parked vehicles, looking for one they could use to get to the junction station, he noticed her cheeks reddening with the icy wind. He had to do something to help. Shrugging out of his jacket as she looked around to see if they were being watched, he nudged her.

"Huh?" She glanced back over her shoulder.

"You're freezing," he whispered, holding out the jacket. "Here."

She hesitated, but then took it from him and put it on, pulling it close around her body. "Thank you." Her head dipped, and she breathed in the scents of battered leather and the two men who had most recently worn it. "This was Poe's, right? Your pilot friend—the one you lost on Jakku?"

Finn felt a small thrill go through his belly. "Yes. Only he wasn’t lost—he survived the crash! He led the X-wing squadron on Takodana.” Suddenly more aware of the firefight going on above them, he looked to the skies, anxiously seeking a sign that his friend lived still.

Rey followed his gaze. “Is that him?” She pointed. Sure enough, executing a series of near-impossible moves to evade enemy attacks, the black X-wing stood out among its lighter squadron mates.

Finn felt a rush of relief. There were no guarantees, but at least Poe was alive for now. Smiling, he nodded at Rey. “It is!” He felt like waving at the swooping, dodging craft, even though he knew its pilot wouldn’t have noticed.

"Fancy flying,” Rey said. “I’m impressed."

Given her own skills in that area, that was praise indeed. Finn had to smile. "We met up again at the resistance base after Takodana. He let me keep the jacket."

"I hope he told BB-8 that." She grinned.

Finn chuckled quietly, then automatically rubbed his leg where the droid had shocked him for supposedly being a thief. The minor wound had been mitigated by medical, but it still held a tiny sting. It was perhaps a little silly, but he hoped the droid thought better of him, now that he obviously had its master's approval. "I think you'd like him," Finn said. "Poe, I mean. When I told him about you, he said he couldn't wait to meet you."

Rey's cheeks went pink again—this time from something other than the chill. "I hope I get to meet him, too."

"Let's go steal a snowspeeder, then." Finn nodded toward the vehicles. The last of the troopers striding through the area had gone inside the building; they were now alone. "Let's get this done and get somewhere safe."

Rey nodded. "And warm, I hope."  

***

Rey’s heart pounded. It felt as if she’d been holding her breath for days, and all of it came out in a rush once the doctor told her that Finn would survive. Fresh tears welled up in her eyes and she sniffled. Feeling the presence of another nearby, she glanced up. In the doorway to the med bay stood a pilot, still in his flight suit. His face also bore an expression of relief and his cheeks were damp. They exchanged only the briefest of friendly, knowing smiles before one of the other pilots, a big man with a beard and a kind face, called to them, noting that their presence in the command center was requested.

“On our way, Snap,” he said, heading out with Rey on his heels.

Though excited about the completion of the map, Rey also felt a rush of other feelings as she and Poe introduced themselves. Their spontaneous embrace had been quick and enthusiastic, but also warm, and surprisingly natural. Still, she also was a little shy, and found herself looking away from his steady gaze, back toward the map. As she scanned the charts, focusing on the path that led to the supposed location of the famous Jedi, a sense of expectation came over her. In her mind, snippets of memory—were they hers, or someone else's?—flitted through. People in sand-colored robes. An older man's voice. A spark of energy in her belly as she twirled a weapon. After all this, there was no doubt. The Force flowed through her, linking her to all others who had the same understanding. Her destiny, at least in the near term, lay in those stars. The enormity of it all nearly overwhelmed her, and her breath hitched.

"You OK?" Poe reached for her, though his hand didn't quite make contact with her arm. It was a small gesture, but a welcome one. Though their hug had been a subconscious act of mutual exuberance, he was now giving her a choice of whether she wanted to be touched again.

She made the choice, taking the extended hand in hers, and enjoying the gentle squeeze he gave her. "I think so," she said. "I will be, at least." She glanced back at the stars. Destiny could wait for a little while longer. There were other important things to connect with besides the Force.

"Finn told me all about you," he said. "Well, as much as he knew, at least."

She smiled. "He told me about you, too—a bit."

"Should we go check in on him?" He seemed eager to get back to Finn's side—a feeling she shared.

She nodded. Dropping her hand, though she found she missed the touch, he led the way back to medical.

Finn's cheeks, normally with a healthy glow, looked dull and still, and his breathing was shallow. His eyes didn't twitch—he was beyond dreaming. The doctor had said he would recover, but undoubtedly the severe wound on his back from Ren's light saber would take a lot of time to heal. Despite the reassurance, Rey was still scared of losing him.

"We're about to move him to an ICU pod," the doctor said as she strode up to them. "I'm a little short staffed at the moment," she indicated the other patients her nurses attended to. "Would you like to help?"

"Of course," Poe said quickly, as Rey nodded. Working carefully around his wounds, the three coordinated picking Finn up—Rey noting that he felt alarmingly limp—and gently laying him into the bed of the device. His clothes had already been partially removed to attend to the major gash down his back; the jacket lay nearby, almost split in two, the edges of the cut dark and burnt. His black shirt, part of his old uniform, had already been discarded entirely, and his boots rested under a chair.  

"Can you hand me that drape?" the doctor indicated a folded cloth nearby. Rey retrieved it and handed it over. Spreading the cream-colored sheet over her patient to preserve his privacy, the doctor worked on removing the rest of Finn's clothes and attending to the lesser wounds on the lower half of his body while his friends used sanitizing sponges to wipe away the remaining muck and grime on his arms and face. As she drew the sponge across his sweat-dappled forehead, Rey noted that it all felt oddly intimate, perhaps a little too much so, given Finn's unconscious state. Yet she also welcomed the chance to care so tenderly for her friend. A glance at Poe, methodically clearing the dirt from under Finn's fingernails, told her that he felt the same.

"He took care of us," he said, his voice quiet and almost reverent.

"It's our turn to take care of him," she finished the thought.

They worked quickly and silently after that, and soon Finn was still and stable, dressed in a loose medical tunic, his breaths deep and even as oxygen from the ICU unit flowed around him. For the first time, she really considered what her convalescing friend had been through in his life. He was young enough that there were still some childlike aspects to his face, and her heart broke as she realized how he must have been raised and treated when he was little more than a baby. Her own childhood, the memories of it torn up and shoved to the back of her mind to help her survive, certainly wasn't much better, but at least she knew she had once had a family—that someone had known and cared about her at least for a while. How young had Finn been when he was conscripted, she wondered. Had he ever had a day—even an hour—just to be a child?

She hadn't realized she was crying until Poe approached her, handing her a clean cloth to blot her eyes. She took it gratefully, sopping up much of the wetness on her cheeks, but then a fresh wave started all over again. Sinking into the embrace Poe offered, she let the tears come.

 

Though part of her wished she had more time to relax and adjust to this new responsibility, soon enough, Rey knew it was time to go. The base's quartermaster had fashioned her some new clothes, meeting the specs she had given for comfort and ease of movement, and she had had several days to rest and heal, both in body and spirit. Through her remaining time there, she and Poe had grown close, holding vigil over Finn when they had free moments, and having intense, soul-cleansing conversations deep in the night when most others were asleep. Eventually, however, once the Falcon was finally fully reconditioned and provisioned, and her new Wookiee friend had gotten past his initial grief at the loss of his lifetime adventuring partner, it was time to say goodbye.

She dropped a gentle kiss on Finn's forehead as she prepared to leave, Poe standing nearby, his face full of melancholy, but a positive note in his voice.

"I hope you're right," he said in response to her promise to Finn that they would see each other again.

"I am," she said, favoring him with a warm, if sad smile. "I have to be."

Drawing her close, Poe held her for as long as they could manage. "I'll take care of him," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"I know you will."

He drew back, wet eyes focused on her. "You take care of yourself, too, OK?"

"I will do my best. And you, too. I want to see both of you when I come back, understood?"

He nodded, a tear slipping down his cheek. After another, briefer hug, they finally parted, and she made her way up the stairs to the tarmac.

As the Falcon rose, Rey scanned the cheering crowd sending her off. She had begun this journey without a friend in the galaxy. She was now taking the next step on it knowing she had many—two in particular who had become very dear. There was no more emptiness, now. No more waiting for her family to come back for her. Here, she had a family to come back _to_.


End file.
